Boiler-tube cleaner.



PATENTED MAR. 10, 1908.

A. T. STEWART.

BOIL

ARPLIUATION FILED JAN. a1, 1906 BR TUBE GLBANER.

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UNlE sTArEs PATENT are.

BOILER-TUBE CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mare h 10,1908.

Application filed January 31, 1906. Serial No. 298,884.

To all ir/mm it may renown:

I Be it known that l, Axnnnw 'lnonrsox STEWART, a eitixen ot' the l'nited States, residing at Washington, in the District of (To-- hnnbia,have invented certain new and usel'ul improvements in Boiler-'lubeCleaners, ol' whieh the following is a specitieation.

My invention relates to devices l'or cleaning the inner sides of tubesof various kinds; and it has for one of its objects to provide a tubecleaner adapted to be readily placed in and removed from a tube andalsoadapted to be expanded to a greater or less extent while in the tubewith a view of increasing its olliciou c. when properly actuated.

.\uot hor object of the invention is the pro Vision of a tube eleanerembodving such a constriwtion that when it is covered with a rag orcloth and nia-i'iipulated in a tube it will thoroughly wipe and polishthe-tube.

Another object is the provision of a. tube cleaner which, whilepossessed of llllt capabilities stated, is simple, eoinpat't andinexpensive in'eonstrln-tion and is well adapted to withstand the roughusage to which such devices are ordinarily subjected.

'lo illttilltlllll lltllt of the foregoingends, the invention consistsin the construction, novel eoinbination and adaptation of partshereinafter described and partioularl pointed out in tho elailnsappended.

]n the. aeeoin mnying drawings, l'orniing partol' this specification:ligure l is a. view, partly in longitudinal section and partly inelevation. of the present embodiment oi my invention. Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail view illustrating as 'ghtly lnodiliod bod ol' theeleancr as properly positioned in a tube, and also illustrating bydotted lines the manner .in which the said bod) is expanded. Fig. Sis awrspeetivo view of the. tubular end part. ol tho cl *anor body shown .inFig. I, reinoved. his: 4 is a similar view of tho head oi -thocloaner.Fig. 5 is an enlarged, detail perspective view showing a inoditiod waol' sti'll'ening' tho him-springs oi" the body. Fig. (5 is an enlarged,detail dh'nnetrieal seetion illustrative of the manner in hich the end-\\isc-ino\'able rod ol the devieo is retained in the tubular casing.Fig. 7 is a perspoetive view of one of the serz'iping blades, removed.Fig. 8 is a similar view of a niodilied blade designed for use when arag is to be placed about the body, and the device is to be employed' asa swab. Fig. 9 is a dian etrical section of the tuhular end part of thecleaner hotly; W

Referring by letter to tlresaid d rawings: A is the tubular easing whichis preferably though not necessarily, provided at an intermediate point.with a lllllthgl'fl-SI) a, and B is the endwise n'iovable rod whichextends through the casing A, and is retained therein by the diametrioalpin b, disposal in the slot 0 formed in said rod B. The rod B isprovidod with a threaded rear portion d, and. has athreaded socket c inits forward end to receive a headedserewf.

C is an interiorly threaded, adjusting handle mounted on the threadedportion (1 of. rod B and abutting against the rear end of easing A.

l.) is the tubular end part of the cleaner body which mounted on theforward portion of rod B and abuts against the forward end of easing A,and E is the head which is screw f. The tubular end. part D is exteriorly threaded at its inner end as indicated by g, to receive acorrespoiulingly threaded brush F, and is provided at intermediatepoints 01'' its length with circumferential ribs or llanges it betweenwhich and the inain portion of the tubular end part are'l'orinedforwardly and outwardly disposed grooves i for a purpose )resently setforth. '1. he head E is threaded at its outer end It to receive a.corres iondingly threaded hrush (i, and is provided at an internietliatepoint of its length with a eireunil'erential rib or [hinge 1 betweenwhieh and the main portion of the. head is -l'or1ned a rearwardly andoutwardly disposed groove 'I'H.

ll ill are bowed springs which in combination with the tubular end parti) and the head ll constitute the body ol tho deriee. These springs llhave their rear ends arranged in the rear groove i of part I) and theirl'orward ends in the groove on of head i and hence it will be apparentthat when the springs are in their normal state, as shown in Fig. 1, thepart .1) and head will hold the same against casual displacement. Itwill also be apparent that when the head I) is drawn rearward, thesprings II will be expanded alter the manner shown by dotted held on theforward end of the rod B by the l lines in Fig. 2, while, when the headis er-f strength to the springs H Iprpvide strips I which-have theirrear ends arranged in the forward groove 11 of the part 1) and are consnected at p to the springs. 1 also in some cases rivet or otherwiseconnect a reinforcing strip J to the inner side of each spring H, asshown in Fig. 5, this in order to render the intermediate portion of thespring straight and parallel to the wall of a tube. hen no stiffeningstrips I are employed, a part D Fi 2, which is formed integral with thetubu ar casing B may be employed in lieu of the art D.

I K are scraping blades arranged diagonally on the body of the deviceand having edged ribs 7' on their outer sides. Each of the said blades Kis connected at its rear end to one spring H and at its forward end tothe next spring H, with the result that it rests at an angle to thelongitudinal center of the bodyyand is enabled to make a drawn out orscrape against the wall of a tube. 7 K, Fig. 8, is one of a series ofblades that may be used, in lieu of the blades K. on the body of thedevice when it is desired to surround said body with a rag or cloth anduse the device as a swab to wipe and polish a tube.

As will be apparent by reference to Fig. 1, the brushes F and G arereadily removable from the head and slide, this provision being made sothat the-brushes may be taken off when the body is surrounded by a rag;and, the device is used as swab.

In the practical use of the cleaner, the body is inserted in a tube orpipe to be cleaned While the springs H are in their normal state shownin Fig. 1 and by full lines in Fig. 2. The handle C is then turned up onthe rod B until the springs H are expanded or pressed outward sufficientto hold the blades K under pressure against the wall of the tube, whenthe cleaner is turned on its axis and moved endwise. On suchmanipulation of the. cleaner, the blades will expeditiously scrape and.cut deposited substance from the wall of the tube, and the brushes F and(it will displace the loosened portions of such substance. At thecompletion of the cleaning operation, the cleaner is withdrawn from thetube while the body is expanded. or else the handle C is turnedoutwardly on the rod B to permit the body to contract as shown by fulllines in Fig. 1.

in using the cleaner as a swab, a rag or rloth is wrapped around theblades K, or around plain blades K, Fig. 8, employed instead of theblades K. and the device is int roduced into and manipulated in the tubein the manner before described, when the tube will be thoroughly wipedand dried.

it will be gathered from the foregoing thatmy novel cleaner may be usedto advantage in cleaning tubes, tubular molds and the like used in thevarious arts, as well as smoke llues, stove pipes and analogous devices.It will also be gathered that by virtue of the adaptal'iility of thebody of the cleaner to be expanded and contracted in the mannerdescribed, the 'eiliciency of the cleaner is materially increased, andit may be placed in and removed from tubes of various sizes with greatfacility.

In virtue of the ends of the springs of the cleaner body being arrangedin the grooves of the head and tubular end part, it willbe observed thatwhile there is no liability of the springs being casually displaced andyet when desired one or more of the springs may be as readily removedand as readily replaced with a new spring or springs.

llaving described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. A tube cleaner comprising a rod, a head arranged on the rod andhaving a circumferential, rearwardly and outwardly disposed groove, atubular cnd part mounted on the rod and having circumferential forwardlyand outwardly disposed grooves, bow springs extending between the headand tubular part and having their forward ends disposed in the groove ofthe head and their rear ends disposed in'the rear groove of the tubularend part, stiffening strips connected at their forward ends to the bowsprings and having their rear ends disposed in the forward groove of thetubular end part, blades arranged diagonally and each connected at itsrear end to one how spring and at its forward end to an guljoining bowspring, and means for adjusting the rod through the tubular end part.

.2. A tube cleaner comprising a rod, a head arranged on the rod andhaving a circumferential rearwardly and outwardly disposed groove andalso having an exterior thread, an interiorl y threaded brush arrangedon and engaging the thread of said head, a tubular end part mounted onthe rod and having a circumferential, forwardly and outwardly disposedgroove and also having an exterior thread, an intcriorly threaded brusharranged on and engaging the. thread of the tubular part, bow springsextending between the head and tubular part and having their endsdisposed in the grooves thereof, blades arranged diagonally and eachconnected at its rear end to one how spring and at its forward end to anadjoining bow springand means for adjusting the rod through the tubularpart.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW 'lllllilllSON S'lllWAll'l.

itnesses:

llnsivis J. ()"lnMin', .lnaonn ll. .llnnsnssr.

